Royal Blaenau Air Force
The Blaenau Air Forces chief role is to defend the airspace above Blaenau, her territories, and her overseas interests. This includes patrolling the air above her territorial waters and deployment posts. Air Policing is another of the Air Forces chief roles, as in Close Air Support for Ground Forces. Finally, the BAF liaise with the Coast Guard to provide Search and Rescue in times of emergency. Structure Air Arm HQ is located in Defence Square, Central Caredydd. It is the home of not only Air Force General Staff, but also the Naval Air Squadron General Staff. There are Air Bases located across the country, with the highest concentrations surrounding urban areas, the East Coast of England & Scotland, and the North and West coasts of Ireland. Bases near cities are charged mainly with Air Defence, whereas coastal ones tend to be either training facilities or SAR bases. Command Structure This is the chain of command for Officers and Other Ranks, read from left to right in ascending order (i.e. Aircraftman is lowest rank, Warrant Officer is Highest) Officers IMAGE:BAF_Officer_Ranks.JPG Other Ranks IMAGE:Final_Other_Ranks_Table.JPG History The BAF was founded in 1915 purely as a force to support ground operations, mainly through reconnaissance. Lighter-Than-Air methods of flying were briefly experimented with, but it was soon decided that aeroplanes were the way forward, and balloons were abandoned. However, the BAF was slow to realise that aeroplanes could be used as weapon platforms to support troops on the ground. The first official 'bomber' aircraft came about in 1919, with the introcuction of the two-engine 'twin-glide'. This was a heavy bomber of its day, and its first recorded mission was in support of operations against rebels in the Sudan, a war that was eventually lost. However, the bomber missions were very successful, and this war guaranteed their future in the BAF. After that, the BAF quickly evolved their fleet to include monoplanes with closed cockpits, such as the 'flying dragon', a variation of the much-renowned Spitfire. These were highly successful aircraft, and were used extensively in the 'May Rebellion' in the Vietcongo section of Borneo. The Chinese Air Force, who were operating in support of the rebellion, suffered heavy losses and were forced to end their operation, culminating in the defeat of the rebels. The first jet powered aircraft to join the BAF fleet was the 'Hellbat', which appeared in late 1949. Today, the fixed wing fleet is completely jet powered. Future Capability Nimrod MR4: Will be an updated version of the MR2, with extra speed and range, plus an updated radar system and air-to-air refuelling ability. R-10 Beecher: Designed to replace the ageing Tornado GR4, this will operate as an aerial surveillance aircraft, able to take HD photographs and video at Mach 2.5. Will also have an updated air-to-air ability in case of attack. Sea King II: Will feature enhanced Search abilities, a longer-range radio, and increased carrying capacity to allow it to hold more evacuees. Aircraft The following is a categorized list of all current aircraft in the Blaenau Air Force. Fighter Aircraft Typhoon F2 F-22 Raptor F-15 Eagle Bomber Aircraft B-52 Stratofortress AC-130 Gunship F-15E Strike Eagle A-10 Thunderbolt Transport Aircraft C-17 Globemaster C-5 Galaxy VC-10 Reconnaissance Aircraft E-3D Sentry Nimrod MR2 Tornado GR4 Helicopters Apache Longbow Puma Sea King SAR Chinook Air Force